Toy piano



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GIDDINGS, OF ILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOY PIANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,677, dated January5, 1897.

Application filed August 24,1896. Serial No. 603,751. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GIDDINGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at W illiamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Toy Piano, of "which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to toy pianos; and the object in view is toprovide a simple, cheap, and efficient piano for the use of children inwhich semitone-keys or sharps and flats are employed in connection withthe natural scale, whereby several complete octaves are obtained,enabling music written in the various keys to be played with equalfacility upon the instrument. In pianos of this class heretofore placedon the market only the natural key of O has been provided on account oflack of space and the room taken up by the sounding keys or bars. Bymeans of this invention two independent action-boards are provided, onecontaining the keys constituting the natural scale of O and the othercontaining the semitones or sharps and flats. These boards are arrangedone above the other where an upright case is employed, or one in rear ofthe other and in approximately the same horizontal plane where theordinary flat case is employed.

Another aim of the present invention is to so construct the case and thevarious parts of the piano that said parts may be readily disassociatedand removed from the case for repairs, &c.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the courseof the subjoined description.

The invention consists in a toy piano embodying certain novel featuresand details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the drawings,and incorporated in theclaims hereto appended.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a toypiano constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same, illustrating themanner of removably fitting the action-bar and guard in the case. Fig. 3is a plan view of the action-board containing the natural scale. Fig. 4;is a similar view of the other action-board, containing the semitones orsharps and flats. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one of the action-barsand guards. Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the piano, showing theaction. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the action arranged for a flatcase. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the semitone-actionemployed in the construction shown in Fig. 6.

Similar numerals of reference designate eorresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the case of the piano, which maybe mounted upon suitable legs 2, or these legs may be omitted, adaptingsaid case to be placed upon a table or other horizontal support. Thecase comprises the end walls or pieces 3, and these are provided upontheir inner adjacent surfaces with vertical grooves 4: of differentdepth, one groove being approximately twice the depth of the other.

5 designates the action-bar, to which the lower series of hammers 6 arepivot-ally attached, and 7 is the action-bar guard. The guard '7 fits atits opposite ends into the grooves 4., and is made of a length whichwill admit of one end of the bar being inserted into the deeper groove4, after which the opposite end of the guard may be inserted in theshallow groove. The guard 7 is now moved in the direct-ion of theshallow groove, and then a wedge Sis inserted in the deep groove behindthe edge of the guard, thus securing said guard firmly in place. Byreversin g the operation just described the guard 7, with the action-barand hammers, may be removed.

The upper action-bar 9 and its guard 10 are introduced and removedthrough the top of the case, the opposite ends of the guard 10 beingadapted to slide up and down in the grooves 4 above referred to. Thehammers 11 of the upper action-bar, as also the lower set of hammers,are secured to their respective action-bars by one or more pieces offabric 12, which is secured to the action-bar in any convenient manner,and the hammers are glued or secured in any desired manner to theprojecting edge of this fabric, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

At each end of the case is an end piece or bar 12, made preferably ofhard wood and referred to.

adapted to receive the supporting-legs 2 a bovc Between the end pieces12 extend parallel wires 13, which form the fulerums for the key-levers.These key-levers are arranged in a manner similar to an ordinary piano,comprising the white keys of the natural scale of C- and the black keysrepresenting the semitones or sharps and Hats. The key-levers of thenatural scale are notched on their under sides, so as to fulcrum on thefront wire, and are provided in rear thereof with other notches, whichembrace the rear wire 13. The semitone-levcrs are notched on their undersides to receive the rear wire 13, which forms theirt ulcrum, and thefront ends of said levers are shaped, as shown at 1stin Fig. 8, so as toextend over the forward wire 13 and admit of the necessary vibration ofthe said levers without interfering with the forward wire. At their rearends the keylevers of the natural scale are provided with blocks 15,having arranged over their forward corners pieces of felt or othersimilar material, (indicated at 16,) which act as sound deadeners andreceive the impact of the hammers on their return movement. Upon theupward thrust of the block 15, caused by depressing the lever to whichit is attached, the hammer will be thrust upward, so as to strike theunder side of its respective sounding-key, which is arranged directlythereover.

The semitone-levers (indicated at 17) are provided at their rear endswith uprights 18, to the upper end of which are secured crossbars 19,having at their forward ends blocks 20 for acting on the hammers andprovided at their rear ends with longitudinal slots 21, by which theyare adapted to embrace and slide up and down on guides 22, which may becomposed of wire and which serve to steady the movements of thecross-bars. Adjacent to the rear wall of the case and upon the insidethereof are arranged cushions 23, of felt or other suitable material,forming sounddeadeners for the key-levers and cross-bars in theirdownward movement.

24: designates the lower action-board, which is preferably composed ofspaced pieces, secured at their ends to supports 25, which rest upon theend pieces 12 and sustain the actionboard at the proper elevation. Metalkeys 26 extend across the central space in the action-board and aresecured in place in the ordinary manner, one key being arranged aboveeach hammer ot' the lower series actuated by the key-levers of thenatural scale. The second action-board 27 is constructed in a mannersimilar to the first one described, and where employed in the uprightcase is arranged over the board 2-1;, bein supported at the properelevation by the end pieces or supports 97, which rest upon the loweractionboard. The upper board 27 is supplied with metal keys representingthe semitones or sharps and flats, said keys being arranged. directlyover and in the path of movement of their respective hammers.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a manual is providedwhich corresponds to that of an ordinary piano,the same containingseveral complete octaves, including all the keys, both natural andsemitone. This en ables any piece oi.1misie,written in any key, to beplayed upon the instrument and greatly increases the utility andattractive ness of the same. In some cases it maybe desirable to providea Hat case, as shown. in Fig. 7, instead. of an upright one, as shown.in Fig. 6. In this event one action-board arranged in rear of the otherand preferably in the same horizontal. plane, and for the sake ofeheapness and simplicity the action described in connection with thekey-levers ot' the natural scale is employed in COl'lIIOCtlUll withthose of the semitone scale. This and other changes in the form,proportioiii, and minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesoi the invention.

Having thus described. the invention,what is claimed as new is-- 1. In atoy piano, the case thereof provided in its end walls with verticalgrooves, in combination with the action-bar and its gi'lard, the latterhaving its ends slidingly mounted in said grooves and adapted to beremoved. through the top of the case, substantially as described.

In a toy piano, the case thereof provided in its end walls with verticalgrooves 01 ditlerent depths, in combination with an actionbar and guard,said guard havingits ends removably titted in said grooves and adaptedto be disengaged laterally therefrom, and a wedge adapted to be insertedin the deeper groove behind the adjacent edge of said guard,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a toy piano, the combination with two sets of key-levers for thenatural and semitone scales, of two action-boards, one for each set oflevers, each of said boards bein provided with end supports, thesupports of the upper action-board resting upon the lower board, andboth of said boards being made re movable, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose described.

t. In a toy piano, the combination with an action-board, and a series ofsounding plates or keys thereon, of an action-bar, a series-of hammerspivoted thereto and underlyii'igthe actioirboard, keylevers locatedbeneath said. hammers and each provided at its rear end with an upright,a crossbar secured to said upright and extending forward, a block secured to the front end. of said crossbar and. carrying a sound-deadenerfor contact with. its respective hammer, and a guide-pin arranged withinthe case and projecting through a slot in the rear end of saidcross-bar, whereby the movements thereof are steadied, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a toy piano, the combination with the action-bar, of a hammer anda piece of fabric attached to and projecting beyond the edge 7 of saidaction-bar, said fabric being secured IO wardly-extending bar 19, theend block 20,

the bar 19 provided with a slot in its rear end,and the guide 22,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in I 5 the presence of tWo Witnesses.

THOMAS GIDDINGS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, THEODORE DALTON.

